American West Metals

American West Gearing up for Transformational Year at the Storm Copper Project, Canada

Major drilling and exploration campaign planned for 2025 as Positive PEA lays foundation for mine development

American West Metals Limited (American West Metals or the Company) (ASX:AW1) is pleased to announce positive findings of the Preliminary Economic Analysis (PEA) for the Storm Copper Project (Storm or the Project) on Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada.


Positive Preliminary Economic Analysis (PEA) defines Pathway to Production:

  • Initial production target. Study on a starter operation at Storm based on mining inventory of 10.3Mt @ 1.3% Cu, 3.7g/t Ag delivers 487,000t of copper concentrate at 17.1% Cu, 49g/t Ag
  • 10-year production plan. Initial mine plan covers 10 years of production with scope to increase both the scale of the mining operation and the mine life with potential increases in the Storm Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE)
  • Attractive financials. Robust economics (estimated based on the assumptions in the base case and assuming no leverage):
    • Total revenue – Approx. US$839m
    • Post-tax NPV8 – Approx. US$149m
    • Post-tax IRR – Approx. 46%
    • Payback of Approx. 3 years
  • Low-cost operation. Very low capex and operating costs of approximately:
    • Initial CAPEX - US$47.4m
    • Life of mine CAPEX - US$80.3m
    • C1 Cost - US$2.63/lb
  • Enhanced shareholder returns with leverage. Pre-tax IRR of approximately 135% with project development using 100% debt finance. American West is in discussions with a number of parties that are considering proposals to provide off-take finance or other debt solutions for development of Storm
  • Innovative processing with high ESG credentials. Simple ore-sorting and beneficiation produces a high-quality copper-silver product with zero deleterious elements, chemicals, and tailings
  • Mine permitting to commence. Mine permitting will now be initiated based on the PEA with potential for a further US$3.5 million to be advanced in the near- term under the Storm royalty arrangement with Taurus Mining Royalty Fund

2025 drilling to accelerate growth of copper resources:

  • Existing resource is just the beginning. Major drill program planned for 2025 to accelerate the definition of copper resources along the 110km Storm Copper belt
  • 2024 discoveries ready for resource definition drilling. Potential to rapidly increase the MRE through resource definition drilling of new discoveries, including:
    • The Gap – a strong EM anomaly confirmed with drilling that returned 20m @ 2.3% Cu from 28m
    • Cyclone Deeps – potential continuation of the large Cyclone Deposit at depth with drill intercepts such as 10m @ 1.2% Cu from 311m
    • Squall – EM anomaly with drilling confirming high-grade copper of 1.5m @ 2.36 Cu from 181.4m at end of hole
    • Hailstorm – chalcocite boulders at surface that returned assays of >50% Cu within a geochemical soil anomaly over 3km2
  • Regional targets highlight large endowment potential. Pipeline of large-scale exploration targets along the 110km copper belt including:
    • Tornado/Blizzard – located 5km east of the Storm copper deposits the area hosts a 3.2km x 1.5km geochemical copper anomaly and two large electromagnetic (EM) plates yet to be drilled
    • Tempest – 4km long zone of gossans located 40km south of the Storm MRE with assays from surface samples returning base metal grades up to 38.2% Cu and 30.8% Zn
  • Geophysics to generate new targets. Large airborne Mobile Magneto-Telluric (MT) survey planned for the Storm MRE area and other areas of interest along the 110km prospective copper horizon
  • Forward planning for 2025 field season. The sealift operation completed in Q4 2024 delivered bulk supplies to Storm in preparation for the 2025 field season, significantly streamlining logistics to enable a short lead time for start of drilling in 2025 and reducing 2025 costs by circa. $4m

The PEA has outlined a technically robust project and demonstrated that Storm has the potential to become a profitable, long-life mine with strong economic returns for the Company.

The PEA estimates that an open pit mining and mineral processing facility at Storm can be developed with a low initial capital cost of US$47.4m to deliver a project NPV of approximately US$149m and a post-tax IRR of approximately 46%.

Shareholder returns can be substantially enhanced by use of 100% debt to fund development, which boosts the approximate pre-tax IRR to an impressive 135%. American West is in ongoing discussions with a number of parties regarding the potential for off-take or other debt-based financing for the development of Storm.

The PEA is based on the current Storm MRE of 20.6Mt at 1.1% Cu and 3.8g/t Ag which contains 229Kt of copper and 2.2Moz of silver (using a 0.35% Cu cut-off). With less than 5% of the 110km prospective copper horizon at Storm systematically explored with drilling and numerous exploration targets already identified along the copper belt, there is strong potential to add significant copper resources to the Storm MRE. The Company is planning a major exploration program for 2025 to test a pipeline of high-quality copper targets.

American West believes the dual focus of exploration in pursuit of new discoveries while progressing feasibility studies will continue to stamp Storm as an attractive copper development opportunity.

The below key economic metrics of the PEA highlight the competitive cost profile and investment returns (all financial metrics are approximations estimated on the basis of assumptions in the PEA). A copy of the PEA is attached to this ASX Release.

Dave O’Neill, American West’s Managing Director, said:

“Our field work and development studies in 2024 have laid the groundwork for what we believe will be a transformational year for American West.

“The initial economic study is an enormous milestone for the Storm Copper Project. It is exciting to announce a low capital cost pathway to mine development with significant upside to expand the production profile and mine life as our continuing exploration identifies further copper resources.

“Storm is now well positioned to be the next copper mine in Canada, joining other very successful base metal mines in the region such as Polaris (22Mt @ 14.1% Zn, 4% Pb) which operated for 21 Years, and Nanisivik (18Mt @ 9% Zn, 0.7% Pb) which operated for 26 years. We will now initiate the permitting process and progress feasibility study work.

“American West will also continue a strong focus on resource expansion and exploration drilling to fully unlock the resource potential along the prospective 110km copper belt at Storm.

“Exploration in 2024 delivered a pipeline of new discoveries and targets that we will follow-up in 2025. There are several large-scale exploration targets that offer excellent potential for a new discovery – walk-up drill targets that are supported by strong EM plates, gravity anomalies, copper gossans at surface, or high-grade copper confirmed by reconnaissance drilling.

“There is very strong potential to quickly add tonnes to the existing mineral resource estimate. With the scoping study supporting the economic potential of a mining operation at Storm, any increase in the resource is likely to further enhance the potential economics of that mining operation.

“We look forward to updating investors on the 2025 field program as arrangements are finalised.”


Click here for the full ASX Release

This article includes content from American West Metals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.

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Figure 1. New JJB Property location and expanded SAY Property boundary. (CNW Group/Finlay Minerals Ltd.)

JJB PROPERTY:

The JJB Property is located within a highly prospective 135-kilometer-long belt in the Stikine Terrane, which hosts several significant copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) showings and prospects. Noteworthy nearby projects include Zimtu Capital Corp.'s Copperline Project and Doubleview Gold Corp.'s Red Spring Project. Additionally, porphyry projects along the Bear Lake trend include Imperial Metals' Cu-Mo Porphyry Bear Lake Project, American Eagle Gold's Cu-Au-Mo ± Ag NAK Project, Amarc Resources Ltd.'s DUKE Project, and HDI Quartz Mountain's Cu Porphyry Jake Project.

The JJB area has geology similar to that of the deposits found in the Bear Lake Corridor. Three main copper showings have been identified on the property: Squingula, Quin, and Pat. The Squingula and Quin showings are located near an Eocene intrusion on the west side, characterized by a coincident magnetic high. This magnetic high is surrounded by a low that corresponds with an iron oxide anomaly, potentially indicative of a porphyry target. Both the intrusion and the magnetic and iron oxide signatures are associated with a multi-element geochemical anomaly identified through limited sampling. Mineralization appears to be influenced by major northwest-trending structures and east-west cross structures, with known mineralization occurring at the intersections of these structures.

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SAY PROPERTY:

Lying 4 km south of Finlay's new JJB Property, work continues on the SAY Property, which has recently been expanded with additional staking to the north and south. The SAY Property now totals 26,202 hectares. The SAY Property was acquired in 2024, and an inaugural field program focused on chip sampling and mapping along the 4.3-kilometer-long SPUR Trend. This led to the discovery of the AG Zone and confirmed the continuity of high-grade Cu-Ag mineralization in the East Breccia Zone.

The SPUR is a high-grade Cu-Ag structural vein and breccia target that extends for 4.3 km along the north-northwest Tsaytut Spur ridge * .

The SHEL target area is a Cu-Mo porphyry identified through historic mapping and drilling. SHEL mineralization is reported to be associated with veining and breccias within quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes and lies on the western margin of an unexplored 3 km x 2 km magnetic high * . Historical assays and airborne magnetic data indicate the potential for the expansion of known mineralization in these two target areas.

In 2025, exploration work at the SAY will aim to expand the mineralized footprint of the SPUR and SHEL targets through geological mapping, soil sampling, and an airborne magnetic survey.

Details on the SAY Property, can be found in the SAY Property Technical Presentation and in the Properties section of the Company website at www.finlayminerals.com .

References:

*

Refer to finlay minerals ltd. News Release # 11-24 dated October 3, 2024 entitled: " Finlay Minerals has completed its Inaugural Field Program at the High-Grade Copper-Silver SAY Property " available on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person:

Wade Barnes , P. Geo. and Vice President, Exploration for Finlay Minerals and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has approved the technical content of this news release.

About finlay minerals ltd.

Finlay is a TSXV company focused on exploration for base and precious metal deposits with five 100%-owned and operated properties in northern British Columbia . In addition to the JJB & SAY Properties, the Company holds the:

  • PIL Property , which covers 13,374 ha in the heart of the Toodoggone region, has numerous porphyry Cu-Au ± Ag targets and associated epithermal Au-Ag mineralization. Exploration on the PIL Property is fully funded for 2025 with the signing of an Earn-In-Agreement with Freeport-McMoRan (Refer to news release FYL NR03-25 entitled: "Finlay Minerals Enters into Earn-In Agreements with Freeport for its PIL & ATTY Properties ". ) The PIL is neighboured by Amarc Resources and Freeport-McMoRan's joint venture JOY Project and TDG Gold Corporation's Shasta/Baker and Sofia Properties. The PIL Property is also 25 km northwest of Centerra Gold's past-producing Kemess South Mine and 15 km east of Thesis Gold's Lawyers Project.

  • ATTY Property covers 3,875 ha of sub-alpine terrain in the southern Toodoggone region. Exploration on the ATTY Property is also full-funded for 2025 with the signing of an Earn-In-Agreement with Freeport-McMoRan in April 2025.The Toodoggone is a northwest-trending belt of Triassic to Jurassic arc terranes that hosts numerous significant porphyry Cu-Au ± Ag and associated epithermal Au-Ag deposits. The ATTY Property is in between and contiguous to Centerra Gold's Kemess Project and the joint-venture JOY Project held by Amarc Resources and Freeport-McMoRan. The ATTY Property KEM target has similarities to the Kemess North Trend, which hosts the Kemess Underground and Kemess East deposits.

  • Silver Hope Property covers 21,322 ha and surrounds the past-producing Equity Silver Mine in the prospective Skeena Arch region of central B.C. The Silver Hope contains the Main Trend which is a >2 km Cu-Ag-Au mineralized trend with mineralization starting at surface.  West of the Main Trend is the West Cu-Mo Porphyry which is also mineralized starting from surface. The Property hosts a network of forestry roads and trails and has all-year access from Houston, BC .

Finlay trades under the symbol "FYL" on the TSXV and under the symbol "FYMNF" on the OTCQB. For further information and details, please visit the Company's website at www.finlayminerals.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Robert F. Brown
President, CEO & Director

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the exploration plans for the JJB and SAY Properties. Although Finlay believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Finlay and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Finlay's proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Finlay does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE finlay minerals ltd.

Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2025/23/c5360.html

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